


A Simple Equation

by a plant (adventitious)



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Attempt at Humor, Crushes, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 09:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22494124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adventitious/pseuds/a%20plant
Summary: Jisung isn't that good at math, but Minho is, so he helps him with the problem he's stuck on. Maybe Jisung has more problems that need a solution, and maybe all it takes is Minho seeing the equation Jisung is struggling with to solve it.Or, Jisung has a huge crush on Minho, and Minho has no idea until their common friends hint at it. Once he knows, only the need for a little bit of bravery stands between them and something more.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 246





	A Simple Equation

**Author's Note:**

> * This has been edited into OT8

"I hate math," Jisung groaned, looking down at his homework, the numbers seemingly swimming around on the paper. He couldn't make sense of it anymore, every time he finally understood a question, the next one was twice as difficult. It was like breaking through a paper wall only to be met with one made of wood, the material getting harder and harder.

"According to Hyunjin, Minho hyung is pretty good at math, maybe he could teach you?" Seungmin said, smirking slightly. Jisung groaned, just the thought of asking Minho for help making him want to dig his own grave.

"I know, it's the worst thing, it's like his favorite subject, yet another thing we don't have in common. As the list grows, my hopes fade," Jisung said with a dramatic sigh, immediately glancing around the room to make sure Minho wasn't lurking. He didn't need him to know how much he secretly knew about him. They were sitting in one of the first year classrooms, so it was really unlikely that a third year would just march in out of nowhere, but Jisung knew his luck was bad and honestly wouldn't question if the universe decided to prove that it hated him once again. Plus, Minho was close to Hyunjin and Felix, since they were all part of the dance club, so it wasn't completely out of the question since class was over already. His fears were valid.

"No worries, I'm sure he'll notice your existence one day, then you can have that beautiful anime romance you're dreaming of," Felix said, batting his eyelashes and sighing as he looked up at the ceiling. Jisung hit him, scowling at him for even saying such a thing, but Felix just laughed. "Seriously, though, I don't get why you don't just talk to him, he's nice."

Jisung huffed and rolled his eyes, looking back down at his homework, not even bothering to reply to that. It was true, and he knew it, there was no way he would ever get closer to Minho if he didn't at least talk to him. Heck, he was Changbin's roommate, he could literally go over to their room to hang out without it being even a little weird, Changbin was in his and Felix's room all the time, and it definitely wasn't just to hang with Jisung, not that Felix would ever notice unless Changbin said something. But that was the thing with crushes, wasn't it? The crippling fear of rejection made the thought of being ignored eternally seem like the better option.

"I swear, the day Jisung decides to finally speak to Minho is the day I eat my desk," Seungmin said, making Felix laugh slightly, and Jisung glared at him. He wanted to just run up and talk to Minho the next time he saw him just for that, but he knew he wouldn't dare to. He was scared by the thought alone, seriously considering it sending chills down his spine. He saw it so clearly, Minho would be super nice about it, gently letting him down with something like 'sorry, I just don't see you in that way,' or worse, 'actually, I'm straight.' Then again, just talking to him wouldn't require him to confess, so maybe? For the sake of making Seungmin munch splinters. A simple hi would be enough. That's it, if he accidentally ran into Minho now, he would say hi to him.

The universe may have had slight mercy last time, or it might have just sensed Jisung's fear of Minho appearing in their classroom and rearranged, because all of a sudden, the door opened and the voices of two people filled the room. Jisung cursed his luck in his mind, but then remembered what was at stake. He could do it, he could, all he had to do was look up, smile, and greet them.

He looked up, seeing Hyunjin bouncing over, leaning on Seungmin's shoulder, which made the latter sigh in slight annoyance. Minho followed after, a bit more cautiously, probably since he only really knew Felix and Hyunjin, Jisung and Seungmin were kind of just their classmates. Or, Seungmin was Hyunjin's childhood friend, so he probably saw him more. Jisung wasn't even sure what he would be classified as in Minho's world. Hyunjin's classmate? The friend Changbin hangs out with sometimes? Either way, he was sure Minho barely knew his name.

As he was thinking about that, Jisung realized he fucked up, seeing as Felix and Minho were already talking, meaning he lost the chance to just say a casual greeting. So instead, he looked back down at his books, only to be reminded that he still didn't know how to solve this question, and the examples given weren't really helpful. He chewed on his lip, looking at how he solved a similar one earlier, trying to figure out how to solve the parts of this that was different.

Jisung didn't even notice someone shuffling over and leaning to look at his work until there was a familiar hum just a little too close to his ear. He quickly looked up, trying not to panic when he saw Minho pretty much leaning over him. He blinked up at him, and Minho glanced at him with a slight smile before looking back down at his books.

"You need to move this here, switch over this part and complete this side before moving it over again," Minho said softly, pointing it out on the sheet, and without really thinking about it, Jisung did, watching in wonder as the problem solved itself.

"Oh wow, I've been stuck on that for a good 10 minutes, and it was that easy?" Jisung said, sighing at his own stupidity, but it made Minho laugh slightly. Right, he helped him now, despite not having to. "Thank you, Minho hyung," he said, smiling at the older.

"No problem, math is kind of my subject," he said, and Jisung grinned.

"It's really not mine," he said, slightly embarrassed to admit it, but his heart was beating too fast for him to care. Half his brain was working on auto-pilot while the rest of it was panicking.

"If you ever need help, just tell me," Minho said, smiling down at him, and if Jisung hadn't fallen for Minho a long time ago, he would have right then and there.

"Thanks, that's really nice of you," he said, and Minho was beaming. While this was all happening, the others were completely silent, watching them with wide eyes, so when Jisung turned back to them, he felt a hundred times more embarrassed than he already did.

"What?" he asked, and the others smiled and shook their heads in perfect sync.

"Anyway, we gotta get to practice," Hyunjin said, making both Felix and Minho react.

"Alright, see you later," Felix said to Seungmin and Jisung before getting up. Minho smiled at Seungmin, then gave Jisung's shoulder a light squeeze before hurrying off.

After they left, Jisung took a second to breathe, then looked at Seungmin with the most wicked smile he could manage. "I hope you brought something to drink, I hear desks are pretty dry."

"Well, technically, he talked to you, so it doesn't really count," Seungmin said with a shrug, packing his stuff. Jisung was doing the same, because the dance club leaving meant that choir would be starting soon, and Seungmin had of course managed to drag him along on the first day, and somehow convinced him to sign up. Not as much convincing as begging and puppy eyes, but either way, they were both in choir.

"You're just a coward, admit it, you fear the crunch," Jisung said, and Seungmin snorted.

"To be fair, I don't think I fancy the thought of getting wood splinters in my teeth," Seungmin said, immediately shuddering at the thought.

"Come on, it can't be that bad. It would be like using a toothpick. Or, you know, several toothpicks at once, but that's just details."

"Sometimes I wonder why we're friends."

"Probably because I'm the only one you manage to trick into doing stupid things like signing up for choir."

"…Yeah, that sounds probable."

They laughed as they finished packing up their backpacks, heading out of their classroom and down the hall to get to the music room, which they shared with the instrument and alternative instrument club, always rotating. Choir was only once a week, conveniently on one of the two days he didn't have to go to his special music production class after school ends, meaning Jisung didn't have an excuse not to go. Although, as much as he hated to admit it, he would probably find a way to reschedule everything if it meant helping Seungmin follow his dreams. He was a soft friend, and the others could never know.

Choir was uneventful, as always. They got a stand in since the music teacher, who usually oversees all the music related clubs and such, was on parental leave. The stand-in teacher was a fresh graduate, only a few years older than them, only a year older than the third years, and Jisung had to admit, he almost wished the music teacher would never come back, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. He had a degree to finish, after all, though Jisung would miss learning actual popular songs.

After choir ended, Jisung and Seungmin went back to the dorms together. JYP High was a pretty renowned school, so it was normal for people to come from all parts of the country to attend. Jisung and Felix being neighbors with Seungmin and Hyunjin is probably the reason they're so close now.

Saying bye to Seungmin, who said he would go shower and take a nap, Jisung was fully intending to crash into his bed and spend a few hours on his phone, only to open the door and see Felix and Hyunjin working on some kind of choreography. He frowned, still going in, maneuvering around his friends to get his stuff to take a shower of his own. The music was suggesting no rest, so he quickly went through his options.

He didn't want to disturb Seungmin, the only other people he knew well enough to be comfortable barging in on would be Chan and Changbin. Changbin was roommates with Minho, so that was automatically not the best idea, but visiting Chan would mean going out and taking a bus to the university dorms, and he really wasn't feeling that. What were the chances of Minho just casually being out? Finishing his shower and wearing a hoodie and jeans, he grabbed his phone and stepped into the hallway, avoiding the music. At least the rooms were pretty soundproof, he'd give the dorm building that, as the noise faded.

He wondered about it for a little while before just throwing his life out the window and texting Changbin.

Jisung  
| Hey, Felix and Hyunjin are having a dance party in my room, can I come to yours and just be socially unsocial?  
  
Changbin  
| Sure, you're always welcome  
| A bit surprising, you never hang out here  
| And Minho is definitely here btw, though he's in the shower rn  
  
Jisung  
| I'll take my chances  
| I trust you'll save me from completely embarrassing myself  
  
Changbin  
| I won't make any promises, but sure  
  
  
Jisung huffed, but still made his way over to the stair to get to the next floor, where Changbin and Minho's room was. He had been there before, on rare occasions when he was sure Minho wouldn't be there, but it was always short trips, never more than a few minutes. The extreme sport of avoiding Minho at all cost was also how Changbin caught on to his crush. Actually, it's funny, other than Minho himself, it seems like everyone else knows and finds it hilarious. That's what he gets for being so obvious.

He knocked on the door and Changbin opened with a grin, showing him in and offering him a place to sit on his bed. The rooms in the dorm weren't much, it was a room split in two identical halves with a bed, a desk and a wardrobe, the bathrooms were shared, two to each floor with two toilets and three shower booths. Like Changbin had said, Minho wasn't there, but his uniform jacket was hung on the wardrobe, using the handle as a makeshift hook.

"Anyway, I was going to message you earlier right when you messaged me, I've been working on that song I showed you last time, and I've made some major changes I want you to judge," Changbin said, grabbing his computer from his desk and sitting next to Jisung. Of course, this was how his encounters with Changbin usually went, so he wasn't surprised.

Changbin was really good at making songs, especially love songs, though he always denied it. When it came to faster songs, Chan was probably the mastermind. Jisung himself wouldn't say he was bad on his own, but he had yet to really find his genre. For now, he was just experimenting with different sounds.

Jisung gave Changbin some pointers about things he liked and disliked, without necessarily directly saying anything was bad or good. He was getting good at the whole professional feedback thing, he knew from experience that just saying something is bad can lead to anything from a sucker punch to dealing with an emotional breakdown. As Changbin was fixing a few things, the door opened and closed, Minho walking in with a sigh, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. He glanced over at the two of them, then did a double take with wide eyes, so Jisung just smiled and waved, Minho nodding in return.

"How is this part now?" Changbin asked, replaying a part that Jisung had said he wasn't sure of, completely ignoring the other two's slightly awkward greeting.

"Much better, but I'm not sure, it still sounds kind of off with the echo?" Jisung said, and just like that, they were in their own world while Minho threw himself on his bed and got out his phone.

After about 20 minutes or so of Changbin messing with audio, Jisung was bored. He was mostly just staring at Changbin clicking away, and no offense to Changbin, but it wasn't the most interesting thing to watch. So, of course, he found himself glancing at Minho ever so often, who was smiling at something on his phone.

Jisung went back and forth like that for a little while, and the fourth time he glanced over, he caught Minho looking back, though his eyes quickly shot back to his phone, index finger tapping on the side of it as if he had been startled. Why would Minho be so startled just because Jisung caught him staring?

Feeling brave, Jisung kept his eyes on Minho, as if daring him to glance over again. When he did, his eyes widened at catching Jisung's stare once again, so Jisung just smiled at him and looked back to Changbin's computer, acting as if his heart wasn't on fire. What was he supposed to make of this? It didn't really mean anything. Or did it?

Changbin, completely oblivious to the slightly tense atmosphere around him, asked Jisung to listen to the soundtrack one more time, and Jisung had to admit, the track had improved a lot just in the small amount of time that he had been sitting there and giving him pointers.

Then, Jisung's phone pinged, so he fished it out of his pocket and looked at the text. It was Hyunjin asking if he wanted to get food, since Felix apparently had plans. He hadn't even realized he was hungry, but thinking about it, lunch was beginning to be a few hours ago.

"Hyunjin asked if I wanted to get food, do you wanna come?" he asked, glancing from Changbin to Minho, the latter looking surprised that he was seemingly extending the invitation to him as well.

"I actually have plans later…" Changbin said, smiling slightly.

"Oh, with Felix?" Jisung laughed, taking a wild guess. When Changbin blushed, it was enough confirmation.

"Perhaps," Changbin muttered, and Jisung smiled, a part of him happy that the two of them were finally getting somewhere.

"Minho hyung?" he asked, looking over to Minho. He wasn't sure what he was hoping the other would say. On one hand, he wanted more opportunities to get closer to him, on the other he was afraid it would be awkward. But then again, Hyunjin was going, which by extension probably meant Seungmin was going, so it should be fine.

"I mean, if I'm not interrupting anything?" Minho asked, looking concerned, and Jisung laughed a little.

"Trust me, if I'm right, and Seungmin is going as well, I would just be third wheeling so bad," Jisung said, and Minho blinked.

"Wait, are Hyunjin and Seungmin…?" he asked, and Jisung shrugged, understanding what he was trying to say.

"Not yet, but it's only a matter of time, if you ask me," he said, and he wasn't sure why Minho looked so surprised, but he smiled and sat up.

"Well then, I guess I'll save you from the awkwardness," he said, and Jisung got up as well. Changbin snorted from his spot on the bed.

"As if the two of you together isn't the most awkward combination of people I've ever seen," he said, glancing between the two of them with a frown.

"We just don't know each other that well, there's a difference," Minho said, and Jisung nodded.

"Exactly," Jisung said, and Minho smiled at him again. Really, Jisung should be used to it considering how many times that had happened already, but he was still flustered. "Anyway, let's go," Jisung added, Changbin scoffing as the two of them went on their way.

Almost as soon as they got down the stairs and around the corner, they saw Seungmin and Hyunjin standing in the hallway, talking. Hyunjin was the one who noticed them first staring with wide eyes.

"Wait, what kind of combination is this? Why are the two of you together?" Hyunjin asked, looking between them.

"I've been hanging with Changbin, so I've been in their room for a few hours," Jisung said with a shrug. "Anyway, I invited them both to come with, but Changbin has a date with Felix," Jisung said, laughing slightly.

"Ohh, that's why Felix looked so flustered when he was explaining! He wouldn't tell us who he had plans with," Seungmin said, giggling.

"I ship them so much, this is good news," Hyunjin said, and Jisung had to agree.

"Thankfully something is happening, it's honestly been painful to watch. Escape the whining of one only to step into the whining of the other," Jisung said, feeling the 10 years lost from his life from listening to how perfect they thought the other was. It was bad.

"Really, I wonder how that would feel, having to listen to friends whine over their crushes. I wouldn't know, would I, Jisung?" Seungmin said, nudging Jisung's shoulder with a grin. Jisung blushed terrified that Minho would catch on, so he hit Seungmin's shoulder and looked over at Minho, seeing him frown at the floor, then realizing that looking right at Minho after that would be hinting, so he quickly looked away again.

"Oof, speaking of painful to watch…" Hyunjin said, giving Jisung a knowing look.

"Alright, I hereby declare torture Jisung hour to be over, stop judging me," he mumbled, beginning to walk ahead of them.

\--

As Jisung had said, whenever Hyunjin and Seungmin were together, they had a tendency to just focus on each other. The way Hyunjin focused completely on whatever Seungmin was saying, and Seungmin just speaking softly as he talked about something really meaningless might be one of the cutest things Jisung had ever seen. Glancing over at Minho, he saw him smiling at the two, turning to Jisung when he saw him turn. Jisung smiled, nodding towards Hyunjin and Seungmin and lifting his eyebrows in a quick motion, underlining what he said earlier. Minho laughed slightly, nodding, and Jisung was relieved he wasn't the only one who realized that his friends were both dense and blind to their own feelings.

"No seriously, when did the two of you get so close? Why have you been hiding this from us?" Hyunjin suddenly asked, making Jisung turn towards him.

"We're not close. I guess we just get along really well?" Jisung said, ignoring how happy it made him feel that, yeah, they really did.

"We've really barely talked," Minho said, shrugging.

"You've barely talked, but you can communicate without words? What's up with that?" Seungmin asked, and Jisung and Minho both laughed.

"Inside joke," Jisung said, and Hyunjin and Seungmin both looked like that was ridiculous.

"How can you have INSIDE JOKES, when you've BARELY TALKED?! You're keeping secrets from us, and I swear I'll expose you," Hyunjin said, glaring between them, then his eyes widened, as if something just dawned on him.

"Wait, don't tell me the two of you are pulling a Felix and Changbin and are dating without saying anything as well?" Hyunjin asked, looking actually offended at the thought of all his friends not telling him things like this. Jisung felt his face go red, voice lost to the wind as he stared at Hyunjin with wide eyes. Hyunjin knew about Jisung's stupid crush, he knew the whole situation, so why would he say something like that?

Jisung looked over at Minho, who looked equally red, shocked and somewhat offended, then turned to meet Jisung's eyes, and Jisung, not sure what he was thinking, just smiled. Hyunjin was definitely teasing, he was trying to get him to freak out, exposing himself. He wouldn't allow, he would have to gather every ounce of confident gay in his body to do this, but he'll be damned if he's not gonna use UNO reverse on Hyunjin's ass. Of course, this move depended on Minho laying down a +4, but it was worth a try.

"I can't believe the secret's out like this, sorry hyung," Jisung said, and Minho looked taken aback, but looking into Jisung's eyes, he must have seen the spark of mischief, the same one appearing in his own eyes.

"No, it was going to get out sooner or later, anyway, we really should have just told them," Minho said, and Hyunjin slammed his hands into the table and Seungmin almost fell out of his chair as he glanced between them with wide eyes.

"WHAT?! NO! YOU CAN'T JUST- WHAT?!" Hyunjin yelled, and the waiter of the small restaurant came up and asked him to please not cause a scene, and they all bowed and apologized.

"What?!" Hyunjin said with a lower voice once the waiter left.

"Just yesterday you were whining, and now it's like this? That's… fast," Seungmin said, and Jisung was suddenly scared. He had failed to realize that this increased the risk of Seungmin sending him into oblivion, he might have a freaking draw 25, and if that went on the table, Jisung's life was game over.

But then, Minho started shaking slightly, then laughed soundlessly looking at Hyunjin, and Jisung took a moment to look at the pure betrayal on Hyunjin and Seungmin's faces and it was hilarious, so he started laughing as well, which in turn made Minho laugh harder.

"No. You pieces of shit," Seungmin said, voice actually full of venom, but Jisung and Minho just laughed on, Jisung's lungs hurting as tears built up in his eyes.

"Wait. You're joking. You wouldn't," Hyunjin whispered, and Jisung who had finally almost calmed down, fell into another laughing fit. Minho took a deep breath.

"We did," Minho said, and Hyunjin gasped, which made Minho laugh again.

"I actually believed it. I didn't in the beginning, since Jisung is a coward, but it would have been kind of plausible, and I've never felt more betrayed," Seungmin said, huffing, and Jisung stopped laughing, his heart stopping. Seungmin just indirectly exposed Jisung's crush. Thankfully, no one else seemed to react, so he calmed down.

"Sorry, I saw the opportunity and couldn't help it, I was half expecting Minho to just be violently opposed to the joke, but this became golden," Jisung said, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Oh trust me, he would never be opposed to- ow!" Hyunjin started, but stopped before he could say anything, grabbing his leg, Minho glaring at him. Now Jisung wasn't dumb, maybe if Hyunjin got to finish his sentence and Minho laughed it off he wouldn't think twice about it, but a violent reaction like that? Forget butterflies, Jisung's stomach felt like there was a volcano eruption.

"Not like Jisung would be eith-" Seungmin started, and Jisung cleared his throat.

"I will actually kill you in your sleep," he whispered to him, and Seungmin raised his hands slightly. A slight silence settled on the table, and Hyunjin and Seungmin grinned at each other.

Jisung was torn between wanting to ask and sinking into the ground, and if he wasn't completely delusional, there might be something. Something he hadn't even dared to hope for suddenly seemed a little bit less ridiculous. Somehow, these insinuation left Jisung and Minho more awkward than ever, and Hyunjin and Seungmin were living for it.

\--

Several teasing comments later, Jisung couldn't even look Minho in the eye. Hyunjin kept making comments that made Jisung think that maybe there was something he wasn't seeing, but the voices in his head told him that wasn't possible. And if Jisung caught on to something, Minho definitely did, looking just as uncomfortable as Jisung felt. This went bad, now there was a huge gap between them, and Jisung had a choice to make. He could go with the hope in his heart or the logic in his head, the logic was telling him to keep avoiding Minho and never talking to him again, but the hope was suggesting maybe just talking to him and laying the facts down. If only to shut Seungmin and Hyunjin up, it might be a good idea.

As they waited for the bus back to the dorms, Jisung glanced over at Minho, seeing him chewing his lip, looking like he was thinking. He then turned to Jisung, eyes widening when their gazes met, just like earlier. Jisung didn't look away, didn't smile, just looked at him, calculating his reaction. Minho looked right back, the air seemed like it was heavier, gathering at the bottom of his lungs, and Minho looked flustered, his breathing quicker. Why was he reacting like that, if there was nothing to it?

The moment was broken when the bus arrived, but Jisung's heart didn't want to settle. He wanted to ask. He needed to know. But that required an amount of bravery he wasn't sure he had, they were pretty much strangers, ignoring the embarrassing amount of things Jisung knew about Minho. Ignoring that Jisung had a crush on him ever since they met the first time Jisung and Seungmin went with Hyunjin and Felix to consider the dance club in the first weeks of class. Maybe stranger wasn't the right word. Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed that they were walking up the stairs of the dorm.

He was trying to build up his own courage. Minho would be graduating this year, if he said something now and ended up having to avoid him for the rest of eternity, it would be easy. Jisung also knew that Minho was trying to get into the same university as Chan, which was only a short underground trip away, meaning if it was a green light, he wouldn't be far away. They weren't really good friends or anything, so if he said something, there wasn't really a lot of risk. Maybe it was okay to have his heart broken and move on, there was no point dwelling on something that wasn't going to work, right?

Hyunjin and Seungmin went into their room, and Jisung stopped in front of his door. He didn't want to say anything. No, he would just go into his room, and forget that today ever happened. Or, he would, but Minho was standing still in the hallway, not having walked up the stairs yet. Jisung turned around and looked at him, meeting Minho's eyes, and there was something about the way he was looking at him. Minho looked up the stairs, worry in his eyes, then looked back at Jisung, who was just looking back at him. He then messed with his hair slightly.

"I'm going to regret this so bad," Minho whispered, but then, turned around and walked towards him. "Can we talk? There's something I need to say," Minho said, looking like he regretted it as soon as he did, he looked scared. Jisung just smiled slightly, wondering where this was going, if this was the grand confession or the gentle let down.

"Of course," Jisung said, opening his door and looking in, it was dark and empty. "Come in," he said, opening the door for Minho, who walked in, taking off his shoes right inside the door. Jisung did the same, then went over and sat on his bed, patting the spot next to him in invitation.

Minho sat down, then just sat looking at Jisung for a little while, not saying anything. Jisung just waited patiently, looking right back. They were just sitting there, staring at each other for a while. Minho took a deep breath, looked around the room, then looked back at Jisung, who just kept smiling, afraid the nervousness would show on his face if he stopped. His heart was sinking, this was beginning to look more like a gentle let down than anything. Maybe he should make it easier, maybe say something like 'it's okay,' or 'just say it, I'll be fine,' or anything like that really.

"What do you think about me?" Minho asked, looking worried, and Jisung blinked. Alright, not what he expected, he wasn't sure how to reply to that. The confusion was apparently visible on his face. "I mean, as in general impression, I guess…" Minho added, and Jisung nodded.

"I have a very good general impression of you," Jisung said, carefully putting a bit of weight on the 'very'. He didn't want to scare Minho away, but if he was fishing for hints, he wasn't going to see the bait and swim away.

"Okay, good. And you're not dating Seungmin, or have a secret crush on Hyunjin?" Minho asked, which was a weird question, but okay. Jisung laughed a little.

"Definitely not, clearly," he said, and Minho nodded, the corner of his mouth rising slightly at the memory of earlier.

Silence engulfed them once more, and Minho looked right into his eyes, and Jisung looked right back, and the both of them probably realized how weird this situation was, that there was something unsaid hanging in the air between them.

"Do you… Or, is it possible that-" Minho started, but he never got to finish his sentence, since the door smashed open.

"Jisung, you wouldn't believe- oh, hi Minho hyung- wait, Minho hyung?" Felix said, not even breathing between sentences. Jisung glared slightly at him, knowing that there was no way he would hear the rest of what Minho was trying to say now.

"Hi Felix," Minho said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair, leaving it slightly messy. Minho looked at Jisung, and Jisung felt his heart catch in his throat.

"It's fine, you can tell me later, I'll wait," Jisung almost whispered as Felix was busy looking through his wardrobe, probably not even searching for anything if Jisung knew him right, and Minho's eyes widened as he blushed, smiling slightly and nodded. Then he stood up.

"I'll go for now. For now. I'm not leaving this here, I'll see you later," Minho said, and Jisung nodded, giving the older a small wave as he left.

As soon as Minho was out the door, Felix slammed his wardrobe shut and sat on his own bed, across from Jisung's.

"What was that?!" he asked excitedly, and Jisung glared at Felix and threw his pillow at him.

"Well if you had come back just 5 minutes later maybe I would have known," he said, and Felix threw his pillow right back at him.

"How was I supposed to know you were having a moment?!" Felix shot back, and Jisung groaned. He wasn't even sure if they could call it that, but something had happened, and something had definitely changed between him and Minho today, and not getting to know what Minho was trying to say would probably kill him. Jisung just sighed, knowing that there was no helping it.

"Whatever. How was your date?"

"Right, you won't believe it, it was amazing!"

\--

The next day, Jisung had trouble paying attention to anything. His mind kept going back to Minho, which wasn't really new, but it had never really been this bad. It was like he went through the entire day on auto-pilot, making a mess of everything.

"Hello, earth to Jisung?" Felix waved a hand in front of his face, successfully snapping Jisung out of his daze, looking up from the questionable cafeteria pasta.

"Sorry, what?" he asked, and the other giggled.

"Are you okay? You've really been gone today," Seungmin asked, worry in his eyes despite the smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just…" Jisung started. Trailing off. He was just what? This was going to continue until he got a clear answer from Minho, and he hasn't heard from him. They don't have each others numbers or anything, and he was still scared. Jisung ended his sentence by just sighing.

Just like that, the rest of the day passed, Jisung letting his friends just drag him through it, hoping that there wasn't any life-important information that he needed to know for any upcoming tests. He had half a mind to just storm dance practice and drag Minho out, forcing him to tell him whatever it was he was trying to say yesterday, but he wasn't that brave.

Walking home later that day, Felix suddenly patted him on the back. "If it's any comfort, Minho was really out of it today as well, he kept messing up at practice, and Minho hyung never messes up when it comes to dancing," he said with a smile.

"That does actually make me feel a bit better. Honestly, I just need to know what he was trying to say, my hopes and insecurities are eating my brain," Jisung said, sighing, which made Felix laugh a little.

"You know what? I'll head over to Changbin's room later and maybe just casually hint that you have no plans, how's that?" Felix asked, and Jisung looked at him with stars in his eyes.

"I would love you forever," he said, and Felix really laughed this time.

"That decides it then," Felix said, and Jisung felt lucky that the universe had come together to make that possible, a little luck for once in his life.

After the normal after school routine of switching out of uniforms and into more comfy clothes, Felix immediately skipped out of the room with a wink, running off to his newly acquired boyfriend, while Jisung sat in silence with his heart in his throat, phone in his hand, waiting for updates.

Felix  
| So I said you were probably gonna be in the room by yourself to Changbin, making sure Minho heard  
| He's been a bit restless for a few seconds now  
| He's still not moving, but I give him 3 minutes  
| Oof never mind, he said he just remembered he had to do something and ran off  
| Good luck  
  
Jisung  
| help  
  
Felix  
| :)  
  
  
A minute passed, and there was still no sign of anyone, and Jisung was getting worried. What if Minho really just forgot something he had to buy? What if he just forgot something at school? Or… Jisung imagined himself in Minho's shoes. He could be standing right outside the door at this very moment, wondering if he should knock or not. Then again, Minho wasn't like Jisung, Minho was a whole lot more confident, he was pretty sure.

He still hopped off his bed and tried to listen to his door, not hearing anything. The dorms really had good sound isolation, and this time he cursed it. There was only one way to find out. Jisung took a deep breath, opening the door, careful not to slam it open, just in case. He peeked out, being met with the wide eyes of Minho, who was standing there with an arm raised, ready to knock. Jisung had been right, which made him laugh a little to himself.

"Hi," he said, and Minho smoothly waved with his awkwardly raised hand.

"Hey, I was wondering if maybe, if it's okay for you, we could continue the talk from yesterday? If you're not heading out or anything, it's not really urgent anyway, I don't want to disturb you or anything, don't want to be a bother," Minho mumbled real fast. Okay, maybe Minho wasn't a world more confident than Jisung, and maybe he found that adorable.

"You're never a bother to me, come in," he said, not sure where this confidence was coming from, worry seeping into his soul as soon as he had turned around and walked over to his bed, Minho following behind him.

Then they were sitting there again, like a perfect déjà vu image from yesterday, and Jisung was still waiting patiently for Minho to talk. Of course, he probably had to gather his words all over, figure out where he left it at. His brows were furrowed, staring at his hands, which were twisting on his lap. He wasn't looking at Jisung this time, and he seemed five times as determined, but ten times as nervous. He took a deep breath, looked at Jisung, and he could see the determination just falling apart.

"I'm terrified," Minho suddenly laughed, and Jisung blinked.

"What? Why?" he asked, and Minho shook his head, looking back at Jisung.

"I'm not very confident in this one thing, and though that confidence took a high rise yesterday, I've had too much time to think about everything that can go wrong," Minho said, leaning back against the wall. Oh. That sounds like… Not a rejection.

"I mean, I might be assuming things now, but if this is what I think it is, then you don't have anything to be afraid of," Jisung said, and Minho stopped smiling and just looked at him with soft eyes, and somehow Jisung was sure Minho was convinced Jisung had no idea. But Jisung wasn't dumb, nor blind. Just a little scared of rejection.

"What do you think it is?" Minho asked, looking genuinely curious.

"If I'm wrong and I answer that now, I'll never be able to look you in the eyes again," Jisung laughed, and Minho blinked. He looked somewhat hopeful, and Jisung wasn't sure why, but he scooted closer to Minho, grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes.

"Am I right?" he whispered, and Minho looked at him with wide eyes, blush on his face, but he didn't say anything, and Jisung was now wondering if he really did get it wrong. He searched through Minho's eyes, but he couldn't read anything, Minho was completely blank. Jisung's flash confidence was failing for every second that passed, so in the end he just smiled, scooting back away and about to let go of Minho's hand, looking at the floor. He must have been wrong.

Then, it seemed like Minho snapped back to reality, tightening his hold on Jisung's hand as Jisung was letting go, looking at Jisung with questions in his eyes, scooting over so that their thighs were pressed together, looking into Jisung's eyes. Jisung blushed, eyes wide, and Minho's eyes widened as a smile spread all over his face, his eyes crinkling slightly.

"Yeah," he said, and Jisung laughed a little bit, a huge weight falling off his shoulders. Then Minho's smile faltered a little bit. "Just to make sure we're on the same page and I'm not completely misunderstanding that move, I like you," Minho said, completely serious, and Jisung grinned, a sigh of relief escaping before he could hold it back.

"Okay, good, I was hoping that was it. I was figuring it was either that, or you realized I like you and wanted to reject me nicely," Jisung said with a laugh, squeezing Minho's hand, who just looked at Jisung like he was sparkling.

"You like me," Minho said, and Jisung laughed.

"Yeah, I like you, I'm surprised Hyunjin and Felix haven't let that secret slip a long time ago," Jisung said, and Minho laughed, shaking his head.

"No, Felix almost had me convinced you were scared of me, and Hyunjin never mentioned it," Minho said, and Jisung huffed, that sounded about right. "Also, Hyunjin has known about my crush on you since like four months ago, he knew everything and said nothing," Minho added, and Jisung gasped, but then what Minho said actually dawned on him.

"Wait, four months ago? That would be…" The first time they met. Jisung couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Yeah, I know, I probably should have said something earlier, but I was kind of convinced you and Seungmin were a thing, and when I asked Hyunjin he just laughed and said something about you preferring prettty boys in the dance club, and since I knew Felix and Changbin kind of had a thing, I thought you liked Hyunjin," Minho explained, and Jisung laughed.

"I mean, it's not wrong, I've had this huge crush on a pretty guy in the dance club for a while now," Jisung said, and Minho blinked at him. Jisung laughed.

"Hyung, you," he said, and Minho made an o face, and Jisung hit him.

"Sorry, I'm not smart," Minho said, shaking his head, thinking back on something and groaning. "Wait, did Changbin know?"

"Changbin definitely knew, he's my go-to whine person after Seungmin kicked me out that one time," Jisung said, and Minho glared into air.

"He's been trying to sell the idea that you've been drooling over Chan lately, and I was beginning to believe that you might be crushing on everyone but me," Minho said, then frowned. "He was just making fun of me all along. I'm gonna suffocate him with his own pillow, I swear."

Jisung laughed. "Please don't, we have a project soon, as much as I hate to admit it, we kind of need him," he said, and Minho smiled at him, so much pure fondness in his eyes that Jisung's breath caught in his throat for a second, his laughter stopping as he just stared at Minho.

"What?" Minho asked, and Jisung just smiled. He had the right to be cheesy now, didn't he?

"Nothing, you just took my breath away," he said, and Minho blushed, eyes wide, but smiling impossibly wide, and he was a flustered mess, but Jisung was sure he had never seen anything so beautiful. "I mean it, you're beautiful," Jisung said, giggling slightly.

Minho was looking at him again, shaking his head. "I'm nothing compared to you," he said, and Jisung giggled.

"Stop joking," Jisung said, because that was one math problem that would never make sense to him.

"No, I mean it," Minho said, smiling at Jisung, and he could tell by the look in his eyes that wow, he was actually serious. Jisung's heart went crazy. Minho had just told him earlier that he liked him, but the weight of those words didn't strike him until then. Minho felt for Jisung what Jisung felt for Minho. That would mean Minho wanted to hold his hand, hug him, laugh with him, and…

"Can I kiss you?" Jisung asked before he really had time to catch himself, before he realized what he was asking, but he didn't care once he saw Minho's face going completely red, glancing at Jisung's lips and looking back at his eyes before nodding.

Honestly, he had no idea what he was doing, slowly leaning closer with his heart in his throat, wondering what he was supposed to do, he hadn't kissed anyone before. Ever. But then Minho was looking at him with the warmest, most encouraging eyes, closing them once he was close enough, and Jisung wasn't sure he cared. Their lips met in a careful kiss, nothing but lips pressed against lips, it was nothing amazing, but it was so perfectly theirs. They pulled apart, looked into each others eyes, and without voicing anything, Minho took initiative to press their lips together again, the two of them experimenting slightly with angles and force, trying to figure it out.

Then the door flew up. "JISUNG, YOU WON'T BELIEVE-" Hyunjin yelled, and Jisung and Minho flew apart, looking at the boy in the door with wide eyes, Hyunjin just staring back at them, then slowly closing the door again. A moment of silence later and they heard a slam and an even louder "SEUNGMIN YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST WALKED IN ON!"

"How loud would that have been to hear it all the way over here?" Jisung asked, and Minho shrugged.

"Pretty loud, bet the entire floor heard that," Minho said, turning to Jisung.

Jisung and Minho's eyes met, and they started laughing, wheezing at how ridiculous the situation was. "I wonder what the first thing he couldn't believe was," Jisung said through laughs, and Minho just shook his head, tears his eyes.

"Gonna have to ask later," Minho said, and the laughing started again.

Jisung sighed, just looking at Minho laughing, feeling blessed that they were here, in this moment, coming together in what was probably the biggest plot twist of Jisung's life. Minho looked right back at him, smiling and looking as beautiful as always, so Jisung just leaned over and gave him another quick kiss, surprising Minho.

"Sorry, I just realized I could do that and went for it, I should have asked," Jisung said, but Minho immediately shook his head.

"You never have to ask, I can guarantee that there won't ever be a moment in time I won't want to kiss you," he said, and Jisung was extremely flattered, and extremely fluttered. "Just to make sure, will you be my boyfriend?" Minho asked, and Jisung laughed slightly.

"Of course I will, I'm all yours. A part of me has been since the first time we met," Jisung said, realizing that it was embarrassing only after he had said it, but the way Minho visibly softened made it worth it.

"Good. Now, I hope you don't have anywhere you need to be, because I have million questions," Minho said, and Jisung grinned, ready to answer anything.

\--

Minho, reluctantly, left when Felix came back, looking more than a little excited to hear all the tea.

"So? What did he say? How did it go?" Felix asked, and Jisung grinned.

"Well, long story short, we're a couple now," Jisung replied, and Felix squealed, making Jisung retell the whole story. Felix looked like this was the best thing he ever heard, cooing and laughing along.

"And then, mid-kiss, Hyunjin barges in, saying 'you won't believe' something, he never finished the sentence. He just looked at us in shock and slowly closed the door again, before going to yell about what he saw to Seungmin, so I'm guessing they know," Jisung said, ending his story, and Felix snorted.

"I wonder what he was so excited about," Felix asked, and Jisung shrugged.

"No idea. I'm not even that curious, I'm honestly exhausted," Jisung said with a shrug, looking at the time. The next day was a Saturday, and since Felix and Changbin would be hanging at Changbin and Minho's room, Jisung and Minho made plans to hang out in theirs. They still had so much to catch up on before Minho graduated.

\--

In the time after that, things seemed to be happening fast. Minho and Jisung went from almost strangers to being inseparable in the course of a week. The most likely place to find Minho had suddenly become next to Jisung, often sleeping over cuddled up to him after a long movie night.

Before Jisung knew it, it was already time, and Minho graduated, which might have lead to some tears, and a lot of promises. In the end, he didn't get into his university of choice, but Minho was determined about his ambitions, so he decided to take a break for a year and try again, since there was no better university for a degree in arts.

Jisung was thinking of trying for the same university, so in a selfish part of his heart, he was happy. That meant there was a full 1 more year of university together before Minho had to leave again. Then again, Minho had made some half-joking comments about maybe getting an apartment together if they were still together. Minho could have his cats with him, they could make a studio space if they got one with two bedrooms, since they only needed one.

It was all just speculations, but without saying anything, Jisung had already gotten in touch with Chan's landlord, asking about a two bedroom apartment. Of course, Jisung would have to graduate as well and they both had to get into their individual majors, but he had close to put himself on top of the waiting list by showing specific interest.

When Minho move out, Felix made the difficult decision of moving in with Changbin, since he had pretty much been living there for half a year anyway. Jisung got a new randomly assigned roommate, a first year named Jeongin, who immediately fit into their group of friends.

Jisung and Jeongin got along great, so great that Jeongin had made fun of Jisung several times, thinking that his boyfriend Minho was made up. "There's no way a weeb like you has a boyfriend and I can't find one, let's be real," he had told him.

Needless to say, Jisung had the time of his life when Minho visited him for the first time. Minho also had good news, as he got a part-time job as an instructor for the school's dance club, saying he would let them do competitive this year. And maybe Jisung convinced Jeongin to enter choir with Seungmin and switched to the dance club. He wasn't even that bad, which was a surprise to everyone, since he was really just there to spend more time with Minho.

Jisung realized he really liked dancing, and the interest brought him and Minho even closer together, Minho trying to teach him everything he knows with a passionate look in his eyes, and Jisung was more than willing to learn.

Hyunjin and Seungmin finally start dating, turns out that all they needed was a savage but kind Jeongin to push them together, after he directly told them they were being ridiculous.

Life was moving on, and though there were difficulties, they had each other. The future was bright.

[END]

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll admit I kind of lost inspiration for this halfway and ended up just rounding it up at the end, but I hope it was still enjoyable. I didn't even check the spelling, so forgive me for any mistakes. ^^  
> Comments much appreciated! <3


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